Foundation donates $1M for cancer counseling

Masonic group to fund therapist for patients, families

A $1 million gift from the Kansas Masonic Foundation will be used to provide counseling to people who have been treated for cancer and those who love them.

The foundation's gift to the University of Kansas Endowment, which was announced Monday, will fund a therapist position for Susan Krigel, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology. She'll provide services for members of the Midwest Cancer Alliance, a network of 19 hospitals and research institutions across Kansas and the Kansas City, Mo., area.

Krigel says cancer patients sometimes suffer through emotional trauma after they complete their treatments and start reflecting on what happened to them.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports Krigel will use interactive television systems to provide individual and group therapy for cancer patients and their caregivers.